The woolly worm crawled across the dark pavement of
the park path. His slow progress marked the close of the summer
season. His wide bands of color are said to foretell a long winter ahead.
The fall season has arrived and the changes are
evident everywhere. Colors of red, yellow, orange and brown seem 
to spring out overnight. Brisk breezes and scattered clouds are sure to
encourage those who are behind in their preparations for winter. It is
difficult to ignore the clues that nature
gives us for the end of summer. In the meadows still green, a deer forages
for food in preparation for leaner times ahead.
Wildlife in the suburbs have additional hazards
that
are added to their usual secluded lifestyles. Traffic lanes block their
migratory ways, hunters seek them out, and the hustle of the human
lifestyle causes them to seek peaceful secluded hiding places.
The geese 
form
alliances
and collect, feeding in the fields, and
spending their nights in the many lakes and marshes. For many geese it is
their first migration and their exuberant honking fills the air.
Soon 
they start their journey southward. The
ducks follow their instincts and join the airways south. Hunters across
the nation wait expectantly for them to pass. But for now the ducks can
forage in peace in the abundant marsh vegetation.
The water Lilies, the Duckweed, the algae form a mass
of vegetation brimming with appeal to the webbed friends of the lake. To
walk along a lake
 path
and see the changes from little more than a month ago is exhilarating. It
is also a reminder that nature is warning us all that tough times are to
come in the days ahead.
The sumac have changed to red many days ago to
announce the arrival of the fall season. Now the sumac leaves are
turning brown, shriveled and some have fallen to the ground. The hardy
ones cling to their fragile branches and contrast with the wild
 grape
vines strangling the brush along the pathway.
 Cattails
and wild oats add their meager coloring to the contrasts and vivid
display.
The lake seems to be a deeper blue against the
clear skies. The shores explode in color to display the best that nature
has. The stark green of Pine, the red of the sumac, the purple of the
 Loosestrife,
the yellow and red of the Maple, the yellow of the Linden and Ash shout a
chorus of color in nature's amphitheatre.
 Pathways
wind
through
the woods ,
along freeway, over bridges, unto the meadows.
They wander west ,
east  ,
left  ,
right  ,
or straight ahead and all directions
meandering 
in loops and divergent vistas.
A park bench
 appears
but no one takes time to sit for the wind is brisk and urges you to
continue your journey. Humans encroach on the display of autumn, strolling
and chatting
 unmindful
of the approaching bitter cold and snowy conversion to follow.
Edited
Sunday, 22 August 2010
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